In the course of reviewing social science literature in conjunction with my forthcoming book, "God Was Right: How Modern Social Science Proves the Torah is True," I have come across a strange subgenre of research. It is in the use of hallucinogens for spiritual growth. This practice happens often at festivals (such as Burning Man) -- but elsewhere as well, and not just at annual occasions. Indeed, the practice of “microdosing” has people take “small” doses of psychedelic substances frequently. A major purpose of this practice is to enable people to have "spiritual" experiences.
It is popular. According to a 2022 study from Columbia University (using data from 2019), 5.5m Americans use hallucinogens a year. This number is surely greater now, especially given the significant number of popular television shows that now celebrate the use of psychedelics and that they are legal in some states.
What would the Torah -- which, of course, has a lot to convey about spirituality (often referred to as "holiness") say about this practice?
The first answer comes from Deuteronomy 4:9 – where we are instructed to “guard yourself very well.” This is an imperative to be healthy. The use of hallucinogens is certainly not that. Numerous studies have demonstrated that "bad trips" are common -- with, often, severe outcomes. These include self-harm, harming others, paranoia, fear, anxiety, convulsions, seizures, alienation from loved ones, and flashbacks that can occur at any time in the future.
The second answer from the Torah may be gleaned from an unlikely source– Numbers 6, where God speaks with Moses about people who choose to take “a Nazirite vow of abstinence.” One who takes a Nazarite vow, the text explains, abstains from a variety of things: drinking wine, shaving and coming near a dead person (including parents and siblings). He is the ascetic par excellence. At the conclusion of this period, he must bring a sin-offering to the temple. The sin-offering indicates that the person who took the vow of abstinence did something wrong.
What could it be? It is, it seems, the same thing that the users of hallucinogens do. They look for spirituality by detaching from the world. The Nazarite does so by remaining in the society – but by forbidding himself otherwise permissible things, in order to achieve a higher sense of spirituality. The hallucinogen user goes even further, and detaches himself from the world by taking substances whose entire purpose is to transport him to another plane.
What is the problem with this? Again, the Torah has the answer. In Exodus 25:8, God tells the newly freed Jewish ex-slaves to build a sanctuary. The wording of his command is deeply instructive. God says: “They shall make a Sanctuary for me – so that I may dwell among them…” Not, as we might expect, “dwell in it” – but “dwell among them.”
God is teaching us that he wants to dwell – he wants spirituality to be identified and experienced – in between people, in the real world of daily activities.
This message is reinforced throughout the Torah. In Exodus 31:3, God fills the artisan Betzalel with “a divine” spirit to do his labors – showing that stonecutting, woodworking and weaving can be sacred activities.
In Leviticus 19, God issues a lot of ethical principles and moral laws (such as not cursing the deaf, placing a stumbling block before the blind and gossiping). He punctuates each one by saying, “I am Hashem” – showing that our daily interactions are spiritually important.
In Deuteronomy 14:23, God tells the people to “tithe the crop of your planting” and then “eat before Hashem” – showing that the simple act of eating after giving is a moment for spiritual celebration. And in Exodus and Deuteronomy, we are commanded to “sanctify the Sabbath day” – teaching us that we can create a day of spiritual magnitude every week.
Time and again, the Torah is clear: We don’t find God or achieve spiritual heights by detaching from the world. We do so by attaching to the world. The Torah wants us to microdose spirituality – through properly conceiving our all-day/everyday activities. If we see every action, meal, conversation, decision and interaction as an opportunity to do something holy – to, as Leviticus 19:2 instructs, Be holy – our days will be full of profound spiritual experiences. And we’ll experience these spiritual highs much more frequently, dependably, meaningfully and safely than any drug microdoser – and enjoy the social joys and benefits that the escapist cannot experience.
Thank you for this informative and instructional word.